Cowboy, Take Me Away
by Steele Maverick
Summary: War is something that reaches beyond the physical battlefield. Duo almost laughed, he learned that a long time ago. Although, physical pain was definitely preferable to this. Everytime she looked at him, he felt his heart break. How could he kill her?
1. Prologue

Hey, Midknite here. This is one of those stories that takes a while to take off and is pretty confusing at the beginning. The main idea surrounding this is Brain Augments, which will be explained later, so give it a chance. The Augment idea isn't mine; I'm using it with permission from Ah-Hael, who is the greatest! Sucks up Oh yeah, I don't own GW, the Dixie Chicks and/or their music and Brad Paisley and/or his music. I just really like those two songs lol. Ok thanks!

Cowboy, Take Me Away

Prologue

_AC 202_

War was something that reached beyond the physical battlefield. Many times people find themselves at war with their own expectations, thoughts, and emotions. In a time when right and wrong are not always clearly defined, this may be achieved easier then one may realize. Duo Maxwell found himself in that position as he shifted his weight in the highly uncomfortable chair in his supervisor's office. He and his partner, Heero Yuy, were getting briefed on their latest mission. Why he decided to take it was, at that moment, beyond him, mainly because in his current mental and emotional state, he questioned himself on his abilities as a Preventer First Class. Hilde Schbieker, his now ex-girlfriend of five and a half years had left him barely a month ago, but the wound it had caused was still fresh.

Now that World Peace was finally achieved seven years ago, the new government formed Preventers to "put out fires" that had potential to be a threat to peace. Many people were against this because of the militant ways that were sometimes used to put out these fires. At the same time others believed Preventers were a shield that protected them from the violence that corrupted the areas that surrounded the five colony clusters and the moon that orbited the Earth, as well as themselves.

_But as long as mankind exists... There will be battles..._

"Maxwell? Are you listening to me?" Middi Une, his supervisor and head honcho of Preventers, asked him seeming annoyed with his appeared lack of concentration.

"Yeah, sorry," he said quickly snapping his attention on his boss.

"This mission is of the utmost importance. Intel found fragments of some old records at the last Oz base site that was destroyed and cleaned up. The data doesn't tell us how many others there were or who they are, this one was the only one they could salvage. We cannot have a brain augment running around in the open," Une stopped for a moment and her voice dropped, "but this is what makes this mission so different from any others you've been on. Intel found where she is currently living, under the name "Arethea Fox," in the town Lake Melody. They haven't found anything resembling a criminal record so we don't have a legitimate reason to bring her in but we're not sure how many names she has... What to make of that, I don't know. There hasn't been a steady Intel Agent on this at all. It has already changed hands four times. But, since we can't have Preventers crawling over a city with out suspicion, I am sending you out solo, Maxwell. You must find out if she is an augment, and if it is so, bring her back here so the law may be enforced. Yuy, stay here and let Maxwell report to you. I expect to hear progress at least once a week," She said, her tone sounded almost as if she was enjoying it, notably about the law being enforced, and everyone knows the law: **All Brain Augmentations are highly dangerous therefore, all products of this process must be destroyed immediately.**


	2. Chapter 1

Cowboy, Take Me Away

Part one

Duo stepped into a small diner of "Lake Melody." The name of the place made him gag but he tried not to let it get to him too much. This whole small town thing wasn't working for him, he already missed the anonymousness of the city. He was in his favorite civilian leather jacket, a comfortable pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt. The diner looked almost like they were closing for the night so he was ready to turn around and head back out the door when someone started talking to him.

"So, Mister, What can I get ya?" the voice asked him. He looked to his left and saw a strikingly beautiful woman with stoplight red hair that was a curly mess smiling at him while tying an apron around her waist.

"Um... I'll have whatever the special is..." he said looking around the tiny diner. She turned to behind the counter.

"Hey B.J.! Is the grill still hot enough for a Crappie Filet?" she called. A young man with equally red hair stuck his head out of the kitchen for a moment.

"Yeah I hear you, Christy, you don't have to yell," he said. She threw her waitress book at him but missed.

"Older brother," she and smiled a sarcastic smile while pointing with her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the kitchen, "For some reason, he only has a sense of humor when making fun of me."

Duo chuckled.

"A Crappy Filet? Think I can ask what that is?" he asked.

"No, a Crappie Filet. It's a fish. You're from the city aren't you?" she asked rolling her eyes. He shrugged. He was tempted to flirt with her but some part of him made him decide not to, he figured it was the part that was still trying to hang on to Hilde.

There was a resounding crash that came from the kitchen followed by swearing. "Bet Thea slipped on that cooking oil B.J. spilled a minute ago," Christy said walking in to the kitchen to save her brother. Shortly after that another strikingly beautiful woman came out of the kitchen holding her funny bone. She had black hair that was tied in a low ponytail at the back of her neck. She had on a ragged pair of jeans and a tight white t-shirt that said "Cruze Right Through Cruzer's Dinner".

"Oh, hi," she said noticing Duo immediately. Their eyes met for a moment but left as she walked over to the small platform with a microphone at the other end of the diner. While watching her out of the corner of his eye, he saw her pick up a black guitar case that was sitting next to the platform on one side. She set the case back down on top of the platform and opened it revealing a beautiful, black, acoustic guitar. She took it out and slung it across her shoulder, "Hey, got any requests?" Duo, realizing that she was talking to him, faced her, "Since you're the only one here and there is no way in hell I'm going back in that kitchen," she said smiling.

Before thinking, he replied with the first song title that popped into his head.

"Do you know "Little Moments?" he asked grasping immediately that it was a mistake, it was his and Hilde's song.

"Brad Paisley?" she asked making sure she had the artist right. He nodded thinking that it was too late to back out now. "Sure, I'll give it a shot," she said sitting on the platform. She started their song and didn't change a word.

"_Well, I'll never forget the first time that I heard_

_That pretty mouth say that dirty word_

_And I can't even remember now_

_What she backed my truck into_

_But she covered her mouth and her face got red_

_And she just looked so darn cute_

_That I couldn't even act like I was mad_

_Yeah, I live for little moments like that"_

Duo couldn't help but take out his wallet and look at the old picture of him and Hilde. He couldn't believe how happy they looked. It would figure that it would end not long after. He nearly jumped when the kitchen door swung open and Christy came out with his food. He quickly flipped his wallet upside down on the table, to hide the photo. Christy set the filet down on the table.

"Enjoy your crappy filet," she said laughing. Duo forced a smile as she turned and went back into the kitchen.

"_That's like just last year on my birthday_

_She lost all track of time and burnt the cake_

_And every smoke detector in the house was going off_

_She was just about to cry_

_Until I took her in my arms_

_And I tried not to let her see me laugh_

_Yeah, I live for little moments like that"_

She continued. Duo picked up his fork and listened to her. She really did have a wonderful voice for that kind of music, he thought. Her voice was soft and feminine, perfectly melodic to the rhythm of the song.

It dazed him.

He finished the delicious meal in record time and decided to re-read the mission details before heading back to his dingy motel room. He pulled out the folded over manila folder from his pocket and opened it.

"_I know she's not perfect_

_But she tries so hard for me_

_And I thank God that she isn't_

_Because how boring would that be_

_It's the little imperfections _

_It's a sudden change in plans_

_When she misreads the directions_

_And we're lost but holding hands_

_Yeah, I live for little moments like that"_

There were two photos enclosed with the cruddy Intel report. The girl in the photos looked no older then fourteen so he expected to look for more of a woman then a child. He read on. She has no known family, probably a test-tube baby. Most augmentations were. Her ethnic decent, it said, was Korean. Duo raised an eye brow then glanced back at the pictures. He could see it now, the dark hair and almond shaped eyes. Other then that, she looked as mainstream as his friend Quatra, who was Arabian but you wouldn't know it unless you heard his middle name.

"_When she's laying on my shoulder_

_On the sofa in the dark_

_And about the time she falls asleep_

_So does my right arm_

_And I want so bad to move it_

_Because it's tingling and it's numb_

_But she looks so much like an angel_

_That I don't wanna wake her up_

_Yeah, I live for little moments_

_When she steals my heart again and doesn't even know it_

_Yeah, I live for little moments like that..."_

Duo was so enthralled in his thoughts of the mission and the occasional reflection of Hilde that he didn't notice Christy come by and pick up his empty plate. After a few moments he closed the folder and shoved it back in his pocket. His wallet was still sitting face down on the table. He picked it back up and brushed his thumb across the picture. He would never forget the day he got home from a long mission to find a note addressed to him taped to the front door with Hilde's key inside. He was so shocked-

"Girlfriend?" a woman's voice came from behind him that made him jump. He turned to see the woman that was singing just a moment before leaning on the back of the booth-chair behind him, looking over his shoulder. She had a sweet smile on her face. Duo was silent for a moment trying to think about what to say, but was incapable.

"Yeah-well, uh-no, actually we just split up a while ago," he stuttered. Her sweet smile turned to a compassionate, sad one.

"Oh, that's awful," she said. There was a moment of awkward silence then suddenly Duo felt slightly angered at her intruding into his personal life, and more angered at himself for telling her about his and Hilde's current status.

"Is there somethin' you wanted?" he asked to break the silence, and tried not to be too rude. She shrugged and decided to invite herself to take a seat across him in the booth.

Okay, this lady was a little off...

"Not really, you're just pretty quiet for someone comin' in this late. Usually the folks we get this time a night are from the tavern about four blocks that way," she said pointing in the direction opposite of where Duo came from. He wished he knew there was a tavern in town before he came here. Getting extremely drunk sounded good at the moment. "And most of them come in here just to hassle me and Christy," she said rolling her eyes, "I was just wondering why you seem so good natured?" a sly smile crossed her lips. Duo felt most of his anger towards her leave him.

Yep, maybe more then a little off, but then again, when he looked at his friends, she seemed positively normal.

"I guess it's just the way I was raised," he said quietly, looking away from her, he didn't feel right talking to her, but he couldn't seem to help himself. As though on queue, three middle-aged, highly unattractive, bearded men stumbled into the diner. Her back facing them, she sighed, obviously not needing to see them to know who it was.

"I swear you can set your watch to these guys..." she said. Duo watched them. the first one sat down at the counter and demanded a chili burger from Christy, who was still inside the kitchen. B.J., instead of Christy, came out of the kitchen with an extremely sinister look on his face.

"Christy is not here today," he lied. The first one asked about the woman now sitting across from Duo, with her back facing them. B.J., seeming to not know what to do, glanced over where she was sitting by reflex. The second one saw this as he followed B.J.'s glance to the booth. His grin widened as he reached over and put his hand on top of her head. He turned it sideways so he could see her face. They were eye to eye, her feminine face barely two inches from the drunk's foul-mouthed one.

"Evenin', Love" he said with a sadistic grin and a intoxicated slur. She glared at him and took her hand to remove his from the top of her head. Before she could yell at the intruder, B.J. spoke up.

"I told you that I didn't want to see any of you here again or I'd call the cops," B.J. said warningly. It appeared to have no effect on the three drunken men. The one that was already harassing the woman in front of Duo was now putting his fingers through her ponytail.

"Back off, Asshole!" she said with a start.

"Oh, she must be on the rag today guys," he said to his buddies with disappointment in his voice. He put his hand on the side of her neck and she looked ready to kill him with out a second thought.

"She said, back off," Duo said very dangerously. The whole room went silent, almost as though they didn't know he was even there until then.

"What are you gonna do about it, Girlie-boy?" he said with a half smile.

_Did he just crack on the braid? Oh no, he's toast. _

"What Preventers do best," he said dangerously. The man blinked a few times and moved his hand off her neck.

"You're a Preventer?" he said trying to keep his careless tone, but failing. Duo stood and grabbed his name tag that also served as his badge from the other inside pocket of his jacket. While reaching in his pocket he moved his coat just enough so he could see the nine millimeter in its holster at his side. The man took a step back and straightened up. He was almost as tall as Duo. "You can't interfere here, it's local police," he said.

"If I did, who would know? I don't think he'd care too much," Duo said referring to B.J., hoping it would do the trick, he didn't have a back up plan.

Barely thirty seconds later the three men were gone. "You two better go, in case they come back," said B.J. Duo nodded and waited for her to get up out of the booth. The girl looked up towards Duo and he noticed he was almost a foot taller then her.

"You'll have to come around more often, Preventer," she said and smiled at him with an extremely temping and sultry smile. Duo held the door open for her and they left.

Christy walked out of the kitchen and walked to her brother, who was watching out the door Duo had just exited. She stood next to him but did not look his direction. She also started at the door, lost in her own thoughts and sure they mirrored her brother's.

"There's a Preventer poking around. I don't like it," B.J. said, breaking the silence.

"You should call Tate and see if she knows anything about this," she suggested.

"I don't see why I can't take care of him like we used to take care of people who can't mind their own business. Especially when they're sniffing around Thea."

She turned to look at him for a second with a half disgusted, half exasperated, look on her face, "For Christ's sake B.J., the war is over," she said, her voice tired, before turning away and walking back into the kitchen, "I'm tired of fighting, and I'm sure Thea would be too if she knew half of what the three of us have been through."

Darkness had blanketed the small town no differently then it did when he first entered the diner. Duo glanced at his watch, it was almost eleven. "Can I walk ya home?" he asked, his tone light and completely different from what it was a few moments ago.

"No," she said. Duo raised an eyebrow at her odd answer, "I don't want to go home yet, the park is this way, I'll let ya walk me there," she said mocking his chivalry. They began walking in the direction of the tavern but turned right after a block. After another block he could see what looked like a swing set and a few other pieces of equipment you would find at a park. She sat down on a swing and waited for him to sit down next to her. "So... Preventer, you got a name?" she asked.

"Duo," he said, "What's yours?"

"Thea... Hey, I appreciate you kickin' those pigs out. They don't listen to B.J. or us anymore. The cops, or cop really, doesn't think much of us either."

"How could I resist? I'll always help a damsel in distress," he teased. She giggled.

"Glad to know I can't take care of myself," she said laughing.

"I never said that, but why do it if you don't have to?" he said shrugging his shoulders.

"Okay, then you can be my bitch and do all my dirty work for me," she laughed.

Duo gaped at her for a moment, he didn't expect the comment, and his body was almost curious enough to take up the offer. He chuckled slightly and shook his head. Then realization hit him like a title wave. He was such an idiot, not focusing on the mission at all. He was sitting right next to Arethea Fox, his target. He could have hit himself, why could he never think with the head on his shoulders?


	3. Chapter 2

Hey, Midknite here, again. Now I know that ya'll want me to just go the hell away but I need to add another disclaimer here so deal with it for a min ok? I don't own Big and Rich or their song "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" but I think its one of the best songs ever! ok lata!

Cowboy, Take Me Away

Part Two

Duo returned to the diner every day for a week, for breakfast and a late dinner, and every night that week there was no trouble from the three drunks. He was having trouble understanding Thea. She knew he was a Preventer but she didn't seem to think twice about why he could have been there, in that little back-water town. On top of that, he couldn't believe that his excuse, to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city life, had worked either. She gave the impression that she was very intelligent, she was a brain augment for crying out loud, shouldn't she had put two and two together? In the back of his mind he knew she could have put two and two together the first time she's seen him and was playing him, but he was having an impossible time believeing that.

Duo was finding the more he hung around with Thea the less he was focusing on the mission, which also frustrated him slightly. The truth of it was, he was having the time of his life, and he hadn't even done anything terribly exciting. He just hung out at the diner or his disgusting motel room, he preferred the diner.

He was sitting in his now usual booth, having just finished his late dinner. When Thea came over and plopped herself in the booth chair opposite to him. He could tell she was exhausted due to the expression on her face and by the way she just let herself fall into the seat. She looked over at him after a minute. "Have you ever seen three big tour buses full of already agitated elderly stop at a small diner in the middle of hick-nowhere for seeming no reason other then to terrorize the only thee people working there?"

"Yeah, its called Hell," he said laughing.

"Welcome to our lovely little world..." she sighed, "I'm not goin' for a walk tonight, sorry, I'm goin to bed..." she said. There was silence for a moment then she suddenly perked up as though she had been stung in the backside by an invisible thorn. He jumped at her sudden movements.

Good Lord, this woman's randomness was going to be the death of him. Heart attack or other wise... No, he stopped that thought. She wasn't for him, and he could never have her. In a few weeks time she'll be out of his life anyways. She brought him out of his thoughts as quickly as they had come.

"Oh yeah! Tomorrow, we're closed for the day, spending some time out on the boat then maybe to the tavern, it's ladies' night," she said sitting up properly, "And you're comin' weather you like it or not," she added. "You've probably been bored out of your mind so don't argue with me, okay?"

"I wasn't going to," he said.

"Good. Be at the house around nine-thirty okay?"

Duo left his motel room at nine and swung by the local retail shop to buy swimming trunks and the other necessities for the day. He parked his truck in front of their house they shared on the lake front. It wasn't much of a house, a great deal smaller then the others near them, but it was cozy. He got out of the truck and was about to head to the front door when he heard voices. The first he didn't recognize but the second he knew was Thea's. "B.J. said you invited someone? Who is it? I'm curious," the woman's voice said.

"Well, his name is Duo, he's a Preventer," he heard Thea say.

"Oooo... Is he sexy?" he heard the other voice say and laugh.

"Oh, you have no effin' clue," Thea said enthusiastically. Duo couldn't help but smile.

"So, what's a Preventer doin' here?" she asked.

"He said he just wanted a vacation from the hustle and bustle of the big city. I don't blame him, I hate big cities," Thea answered. Duo, who was still standing on their door step, was listening intently and wanting to hear more, when the two girls came around the corner of the house. When Thea's eyes came upon him, her face turned a deep shade of red, apparently concerned that he heard their conversation. "Uh... Err... Hi... Duo... ..." she said slowly. Her friend looked Duo up and down then turned to Thea.

"You sure as hell weren't kidding, you lucky bitch," she said slapping her arm. Thea, however, didn't seem to notice, she was moving her mouth as if to speak, but no sound was coming out. Christy came around corner as well at that moment. She raised here eyebrow at the three that were standing in silence and Duo saw a sly smile crossed her lips.

"Ya know, if someone were to fart right now, that would just be really funny." Her miscellaneous comment broke any awkwardness that once existed. Duo, being the testosterone that most men are, couldn't help but notice the bikini swimsuits the three girls were wearing. Thea, he noticed right off the bat, was wearing a red triangle bikini and a cover up skirt that that a beach scene screened on to it with red flowers. Christy had a black suit with black bored shorts and the unknown woman had a hot pink suit. All three women were attractive, but Thea he found stunning. He was finding it difficult to take his eyes off her.

"Duo this is Tate, B.J.'s girlfriend. She's a student at the university, on a Preventer's scholarship," Thea said. Tate extended her hand to Duo and he shook it.

_Another Preventer here? What exactly was going on?_

"Come on! We don't have all day!" said B.J. clearly agitated, as he came around the corner of the house. "Hey Christy, Ben told me to give you the keys to his jet-ski," he said smiling as he tossed Christy the keys.

"Yeah, he just wants to get in my pants, which isn't going to happen because that man is just ugh... and there are plenty of other sexy men for me to get my hands on," she said causing a low roar of laughter as she took the key from B.J. anyway. "Well, I'm checkin' out, I have some close, personal time to spend with the wakes. Later!" she called at them and departed down the hill to their dock.

For Duo, there were a few memorable events that took place that morning and early afternoon. The most memorable of these being tubing behind B.J.'s boat, "Lake Melody" style. Which meant Duo and Thea were tossed onto the tube together and B.J. took the boat as fast as it would go around the lake, and doing doughnuts if the idea struck him, also meaning the tube was going as least sixty miles per hour into a large buoy, sending its two riders high into the air and landing with a hefty splash. Duo remembered the way Thea's sopping wet hair clung to her face while screaming obscenities at B.J. about watching where he was going. He had never laughed so hard in his life.

He was now waiting in the tavern for Thea and Christy, who drove Thea's jeep so Tate and B.J. could ride together in case they decided to retire early for the night. He had just sat down on a barstool when the door opened and two familiar smiling faces stepped inside. Christy had on a black tank top that said, "I'll Mess With Texas" and jeans that turned a few heads as she walked in the door. Thea had a straw cowboy hat on and a white tank that said, "Kenny, I Think Your Tractor's Sexy" that she had obviously gotten at the same place Christy had gotten hers, with a pair of tight fitting green pants. She smiled brightly when she caught his eye in the midst of the crowded pub. She hopped up on the barstool next to him and playfully punched him in the shoulder. "You ready for it to get a little drunk out?" she joked. He raised an eyebrow, then Christy jumped in their conversation.

"Yeah, I give B.J. an hour before he's in the bag," she said. Tate's "Save me," glance their direction from where her and B.J. were sitting down the bar a ways confirmed her suspicion. Christy sighed, "He's going to be dead by the time he twenty-five," she said then chucking sarcastically.

"One more year then," Thea joked back then ordered a drink, "Something strong, I got hit with a buoy today." The bartender gave her an odd look before serving her something orange-ish in a shot glass. She drank it on one gulp and ordered another one. "You better hurry and catch up before I drink you under the table," she teased him. He found he hated that and loved it at the same time.

"Yeah, under the table..." he trailed off, letting his mind wander before ordering a drink himself.

Yes, an hour later B.J. was nearly "in the bag", but he was not alone. Tate had given in after being volunteered for a chugging contest with another girl there, which Tate won with flying colors. Christy had made a bet on Tate and was celebrating by dancing with a random guy that happened to have tight jeans and a cowboy hat on, she was in heaven. She had quit drinking for the evening, telling Thea and Duo that she figured she would end up the designated driver. Duo, however, was working on catching up with B.J. He had just finished his beer when suddenly Thea gasped excitedly.

_DUM-DE-DE-DUM, DE-DE-DUM-DE-DE-DUM, DE-DAA-DAAAAA  
DUM-DE-DE-DUM, DE-DE-DUM-DE-DE-DUM, DE-DAA-DAA-DAA-DAA-DAAAA!_

He jumped and looked at her. She grabbed him by the wrist and drug him away from the bar. He heard a few "WHOOOOO!" calls and a few other couples gathered around them dancing to the song that had just started playing. She looked up at him for a moment as though something were missing, then a light shown on her face as she seemed to remember. She ran to Tate and B.J. and ripped his cowboy hat straight off B.J.'s head. He spun around to give her a quizzical look but she was gone, already on the floor with Duo. She slapped the hat on Duo's head and he gave her the same look B.J. tried to give her. "He's off his ass, he won't care," she said and winked at him. She then seemed to realize that his look wasn't because of the hat. "Hello? It's 'Save a Horse, Ride A Cowboy'!" she yelled over the music that was beginning to pick up the pace. He looked around, then a thought had popped into this slightly intoxicated brain: she just made him a cowboy.

_Well, I walk into the room  
Passing out hundred dollar bills  
And it kills and it thrills like the horns on my Silverado grill  
And I buy the bar a double round a crown  
And everybody's gettin' down  
An' this town ain't never gonna be the same._

He looked back at her nodded lightly. She grabbed his wrist again but this time put it on her hip as she began to move her body to the rhythm. It didn't take long for the blood in his alcohol system to decide that yup, he was drunk enough to dance. Something that usually was not his style.

_Cause I saddle up my horse  
and I ride into the city  
I make a lot of noise  
Cause the girls  
They are so pretty  
Riding up and down Broadway  
on my old stud Leroy_

She was a decent dancer, definitely making his body and mind not want to work together, his body was almost too close to hers to bare and his mind was somewhere else entirely. It was damn sexy, the way she moved. Even if he was thinking straight, he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off her. He caught her eyes for a moment and he saw something different, and yet oddly familiar in them. He hadn't seen her eyes like that before, but he had seen that look before, it was in movies, on TV, and even a few times on Hilde's face. Hilde, he had nearly forgotten about her, and now he wanted to forget. He caught her eyes again. Desire, that was the look in her eyes. It was having the equal effect on him.

_And the girls say  
Save a horse, ride a cowboy  
Everybody says  
Save a horse, Ride a cowboy_

She softly bit her bottom lip and it was like a gong had gone off inside Duo's head. He seemed to be having trouble breathing.

_Well I don't give a damn about nothin'  
I'm singing and Bling- Blinging  
While the girls are drinking  
Long necks down!  
And I wouldn't trade ol' Leroy  
or my Chevrolet for your Escalade  
Or your freak parade  
I'm the only John Wayne left in this town_

He now had both his hands on her lower back and dipped her backwards. When he brought her back up she wrapped her hands around his neck and gave him a sassy smile that he could have sworn stopped his heart for a moment or two.

_And I saddle up my horse  
and I ride into the city  
I make a lot of noise  
Cause the girls  
They are so pretty  
Riding up and down Broadway  
on my old stud Leroy  
And the girls say  
Save a horse, ride a cowboy  
Everybody says  
Save a horse, Ride a cowboy_

She was singing along with some of the other people in the tavern to the song. Duo found him self doing the same in a short amount of time.

_I'm a thorough-bred  
that's what she said  
in the back of my truck bed  
As I was gettin' buzzed on suds  
Out on some back country road.  
We where flying high  
Fining, whine, having ourselves a Big and Rich time  
And I was going, just about as far as she'd let me go.  
But her evaluation  
of my cowboy reputation  
Had me begging for salvation  
all night long  
So I took her out gigging frogs  
Introduced her to my old bird dog  
And sang her every Willie Nelson song I could think of _

And we made love  
And I saddled up my horse  
and I ride into the city  
I make a lot of noise  
Cause the girls  
They are so pretty  
Riding up and down Broadway  
on my old stud Leroy  
And the girls say  
Save a horse, ride a cowboy  
Everybody says  
Save a horse, Ride a cowboy

What? What?  
Save A Horse Ride A cowboy  
Everybody says  
Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy.

Duo was grinning wider then he ever had been since his arrival in the town. They were standing outside the tavern, ready to leave since it was heading on two in the morning. Thea took her keys out of her pocket and tossed them to Christy, who got in the driver's seat of the jeep. Duo was saying goodnight to Thea, who seemed reluctant to let him even think about driving. "Let us give you a ride to your hotel or something," she said, "We're already driving B.J. and Tate, We'll bring you back here tomorrow to pick up your truck."

"She's right Duo," Christy chimed in, "You're new around here, the cop would be brutal on you." Duo shrugged his shoulder and climbed in the back of Thea's jeep after Tate and B.J. Thea hopped in the passenger seat and swore at herself. "What?" Chris asked looking over at her. Thea leaned over and rested her head on Christy's shoulder looking at something on the dash board.

"I forgot to fill the tank this morning," she groaned and sat back up. Christy rolled her eyes ay Thea and gave her a disappointed look.

"A bit distracted were we?" she asked. Thea gave her a glare out of the corner of her eye. "There might be just enough to get back to the house... Oh fuck it, Duo you're staying at our house tonight," Christy said simplifying matters while starting the jeep. Duo agreed, at this point there wasn't much he didn't like.

Duo saw Christy shoot a glance to B.J. in the rear-view mirror who looked disapproving of the situation but didn't say anything.

They drove home in silence. The full moon was out and made it feel like twilight rather then the middle of the night. The air smelled fresh and heavy as the evening dew hung in the air.

Christy pulled the jeep in the driveway and parked it. The five got out and walked, stumbled, and giggled to the back door. Christy unlocked it with ease walked in as though she were a mother duck herding her chicks around. Even through his inebriated senses, he could feel the warmth of this home as soon as he walked in the door. The place radiated respect and love, and he could almost swear he heard the laughter of a child coming from upstairs... No, it was the alcohol, it had been a long time since he partied this hard.

B.J. and Tate went to his bedroom in the partially re-done basement after saying their goodnights. Christy walked, Thea and Duo staggered, up the stairs where it seemed to take both Christy and Thea to show Duo the guest room at the end of the hall. Thea was more giggly then Duo had seen her yet before Christy pulled her away from his door by the shoulders and pointed her to the room near the stairwell. "Oh, by the way Duo," Christy said peaking her head out of the door way of her own room, "Make yourself at home. There's aspirin and Alka-Seltzer in the cabinet by the sink and plenty of crappy-filet leftovers in the fridge if you have late light urges like some people in this house," she said giving a nonchalant glance to Thea's room. Duo grinned and waved good night to her before shutting his door.

The room wasn't very big, but big enough for one person. It was a light blue in color and some of the furniture items in it seemed small as well, like they were for a child. Duo brushed it off. The room was about the same size as this dorm room at the Preventers base, and it seemed smaller when you share it with the most uptight, irritable, clean-freak that he shared it with. Duo didn't have anything personal against his room-mate, Marcus, but Duo shortly discovered you can only take him in small doses, and don't ask him to bend any rules, oh boy he nearly got demoted for that one. Duo decided to call it a night as he flipped off the light and climbed in bed. The soft, clean cotton sheets were soothing against his skin and before he knew it he was fast asleep.

Duo awoke with a start, it was another nightmare. He had grown used to them by now, but the hangover he was starting feel was not helping. He yawned and stretched then decided that he might take advantage of Christy's aspirin offer. He crept quietly out of his room and down the stairs. He noticed immediately that there was a light on in the kitchen. Once his eyes descended below the ceiling he saw that it was in fact Thea, who was reading a newspaper eating a piece on cantaloupe on a fork from a bowl in front of her. She was even sexy with bed-head, Duo's fairly sober mind, and pajamas.

He stopped himself at that thought. He shouldn't think of her that way, he was giving himself false hope.

She looked up from her paper and smiled at him, or was it at the bed-head that he assumed he had? "Morning, Sunshine," she said. He half yawned, half grunted in response. She pointed to the cupboard left of the sink, "Aspirin's in there," she said going back to her paper. He opened the cupboard and with little effort he found the small bottle. Realizing he needed a glass as well, he looked over to Thea who seemed to be anticipating this told him the next cupboard over with out ever looking up from her paper. He filled his glass with water and sat down at the table opposite her before taking the two tiny pills.

"How can you eat? You drank more then I did," said, slightly shocked at her ability to even think about food with out her stomach turning over. She raised an eyebrow at him over her paper.

"I don't get hangovers," she said not looking up from her paper. Duo realized that she probably wouldn't, being an augment, hell she was practically immortal from what he took from the few things he's heard about people's encounters with them.

Brain augments were a very rare find. Augmenting had become illegal shortly before the Eve wars started because someone had tried it to help out the Alliance by genetically "building" better soldiers. It failed miserably. The nine-teen subjects escaped and killed everyone in their path, including their creator and nearly one thousand civilians. With their increased abilities the police and even the military didn't even stand a chance. before they were captured and exterminated they had nearly succeeded in wiping out an entire city. A city that was half the size of the large Capitol City where Preventer HQ was. But still, at half the size, it was still a large city. In response to the tragedy, augmenting became illegal and all the products of which had to be destroyed. He only knew of three other people that brought brain augments in to Preventers, and none of them were still living.

Thea set the paper down. "Sorry, my baseball team is doing really well this season so far," she said.

"Who's that?" he asked continuing their conversation, trying to distract himself.

She laughed.

"Promise you won't laugh?" she asked. He held up two fingers,

"Scouts honor," he said.

"...Rock City Lumberjacks," she said timidly, awaiting his reaction. She got one. Duo gapped at her for a moment, then burst out laughing despite his promise and the pounding in his head when he did.

"Are you kidding me? They haven't won a championship in years!" he laughed.

"Almost a century," she said bitterly, "but they're doing awesome this year, got the wild card already." She went back to reading her paper and finished her fruit. Duo went to put this glass in the sink. When she finished her article as well she got up and went to put her dish in the sink as well. She gave Duo a playful shove in his side so she could reach the sink and was surprised when he gasped and jumped backwards. She looked over at him with a light shock on her face and said, "Are you ticklish?"

"No," he replied too quickly, giving him away. She smiled an extremely evil smile and poked him in the side again. She got the same reaction. When she had him cornered in front of the counter she began her attack. She got a few pokes in before he had her wrists held together high above her head. By instinct she wiggled easily out of the Preventer's grasp and continued her attack. "No-No!-Stop-ha-Come-ha-on-Not-haha-cool-no-seriously-hey!" he squealed between his laughter. He grabbed her by the wrists again but this time pressed her up against the refrigerator, holding her in place with his own body, since his hands were trying desperately to keep her evil fingers at bay. "Well, this puts you in a compromising position," he said grinning his own equally evil glare. She narrowed her eyes at him.

He had her and she knew it.

He wasn't sure where to go next, he had several ideas in his hungover head, but didn't quite have her permission to act upon them yet. He tried to glance down for a moment but his eyes were held there by the sight down Thea's pajama tank top. He looked back up, trying harder then ever before to contain his desire. He was startled by the look on her face, the look from earlier, her own desire. At that moment all rational thought went out the window. Her lips connected with his in a passionate kiss where he was no longer using his hands to hold hers back, but to keep himself standing. He released from her lips only from a moment only to move to her cheek and down her neck, stopping at her collarbone when he could hear her sharp inhales and soft moans, he had found her spot. His hands slid down her arms and down her sides, feeling her gentle curves. She suddenly pushed him back so they were looking at each other.

"You... really shouldn't do that..." she said between breaths.

"Oh, I think I should..." he said with the evil grin still on his face and went for her collarbone again. She let out another moan and this time he stopped on his own accord. "Alright, we shouldn't do this in the kitchen," he said breathlessly, "Upstairs?"


	4. Chapter 3

Hi, me again, be patient, I'll go away in a second. Two more songs to disclaim, "Cowboy, Take Me Away" by the Dixie Chicks and "Beautiful Mess" by Diamond Rio, neither by me. In this part, take it as though Thea wrote "Cowboy, Take Me Away", which is a really good song, so please don't sue me! Okay on to part three.

Cowboy, Take Me Away

Part THREE

The pale yellow of Thea's bedroom came slowly into view as Duo's eyes slid open. He glanced over Thea's still sleeping form to see her alarm clock; it had been three hours since Christy had knocked on the door wondering why Thea wasn't up and getting ready for work. Immediately seeing the situation before Duo could react, she decided it would be nice to give Thea the day off.

He was feeling slightly better, in terms of the hangover, but mission-wise, he felt that he had just made the biggest and yet best mistake of his entire life. He was infatuated with her, but he was supposed to kill her—well, maybe not technically "kill" her, but if he were to arrest her and take her back to Preventer Headquarters they would surely kill her because she was this "danger" to society. He sighed and felt her stir slightly under his arm. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at him.

"G- morning," she smiled. He let go of her only because he felt the severe urge to stretch his muscles, and she seemed to have the same idea. He watched her stretch, reminding him of a cat, the way her toes and fingers curled. She stopped suddenly and looked over at her alarm clock.

"Shit, I'm late for work!" She said sitting up suddenly, exposing her bare back. He smiled and she looked over at him. "Quit smiling at me like that! You shut off my alarm didn't you!" She said angrily. He just couldn't stop smiling.

Then he saw something he didn't see the night before. A small tribal tattoo on the small of her back.

Oh boy, that was it. He wanted her now, with an insatiable need.

"You have the day off," he said not taking an eye off her tattoo. She raised an eyebrow then grabbed his chin to bring his eyes back to her face.

"Come again?"

"Chris knocked on the door a few hours ago, you were still asleep. She just shook her head and said "have fun on her day off." You were gonna be late any way." She narrowed her eyes at him, realizing what would cause her to "be late".

"No work equals no money. I think you owe me, buddy," she said, a smile starting come across her face.

"Hmm... What can I do?" He said, pretending to be deep in thought, "I think I know a good way..." he smiled seductively. She gave him a crooked smile back.

"What are you doing here?" Duo asked before the thought had even finished in his head. Thea raised her head up off his shoulder and gave him a slightly confused look as she rolled of her side and on to her stomach.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Duo regretted saying anything but figured he should clarify himself now.

"Here. In this town," he continued. She looked as though she had never thought about it before.

"Well, I guess because it's the only thing I've ever known, I mean-" Duo cut her off.

"You were born here?" He asked, suddenly hopeful there was a possibility that Preventers had the wrong person.

"I... don't know..." she said, glancing down to the bed sheets they were still enveloped in. He waited expectantly for her to continue. She looked back up at him and let out a small sigh; "about five years ago, B.J., Chris, B.J.'s friend Luke, and I were heading back from a short vacation. I was driving my car, and Chris, Luke and B.J. were in his SUV, a semi rolled my car. I woke up in a hospital bed not knowing whom I was, where I was, or anything."

"You lost your memory?" He said. She nodded looking slightly mournful.

"That was all Chris and B.J. told me. I see flashes of things that are possible memories, most of them happy, but the Doctor says they aren't healthy because sometimes they cause seizures, so he gives me medicine for it," she finished, the mournful look taking over her face again. Duo could tell she missed seeing who she used to be. He was also really sorry he asked. He had never lost his memory before but he knew someone who had, and Trowa wasn't one to want to talk about it.

They were silent for a moment; he was taking in all she had told him. That was why she accepted him so readily: she had no idea that she was an augment. If she knew what she was, as soon as she would have saw his badge she would have been out of that diner. Now what the hell was he supposed to do? He hadn't been using his head this entire week, and now he was involved with the one person he shouldn't be. Lady Une was going to kill him. Well, life definitely wasn't being easy on him, but then again, when had it?

Thea, seemingly bothered by his silence, gave him an apprehensive look. He ran his fingers through the soft, silk strands of her dark hair and gave her a reassuring smile. The sudden seriousness in the air was too much for him, considering he was used to lightness that had been his the past week. Feeling the need to distract himself, and her, he poked her in the side, just as she had done to him the previous night. His lips curved up evilly as he was rewarded for his efforts by a ringing squeal. He laughed as she sat up and stuck her tongue out at him. She was damn beautiful, yes, but also much more than that. He was happy; for the first time in months, he felt at ease. It was because of her.

They spent the remainder of the morning dozing until noon finally rolled around. Thea managed to rustle up and old gas can from the garage and get enough in her jeep to get to the gas station then dropped Duo off at his truck and he headed back to his motel room to get fresh clothes and clean up. He was going to meet Thea back at the diner in about an hour for lunch. He showered quickly and grabbed a pair of black pants and a t-shirt to wear. He was walking out of the bathroom, finishing braiding his hair when he noticed his laptop sitting on the bedside table. Heero expected a report from him today. Duo gave half a thought to blowing it off, but decided against it. Facing Heero would be difficult, but he had to do it. He flipped open his laptop, hit a few keys and Heero's face appeared on the screen.

"Do you have a report for me?" He asked straight away, in his usual monotone voice.

"Well, hello to you too, Heero," Duo said passing him a nonchalant grin he didn't feel. Heero didn't say anything so Duo continued, "Yeah, I ... uh... made some progress..." He was instantly regretting making this call and at a loss for what to say next. Heero took care of that.

"She's an augment, correct?" He asked. Duo looked away for a moment and ran his hand through his hair. He couldn't lie, but he couldn't just answer the question either.

"... Yeah... Yes, she is..." There, he said it. He admitted it to Heero, and to himself. He knew at that moment there was no way that he and Thea would work out; he just had to enjoy it while it lasted.

"Good work. Now find a way to get her back here--I can't send back up, people would get suspicious. The last thing we need is a mass panic," Duo heard a door open then close, and he saw Heero look away from the vid-phone and back. "I have to go, get to work on that; I will contact you shortly." He hung up.

Duo sighed--how could he have just done that? Thea had never hurt anyone. She didn't deserve this at all. He had to do something, soon. He stared at the wall across from him. The old, moldy wallpaper had begun to peel in various places and gave the room a more unwelcoming appearance then it already had. The room only having one light--the bedside lamp, which kept it dimly lit--it almost wasn't worth turning on.

He showed up at the diner earlier then he expected, but Thea was already there anyway. She smiled brightly when she saw him and it snapped him out of his daze. She was sitting on a barstool talking with Christy, who was behind the counter, and two elderly men sitting to her right. Duo sat on Thea's left and she surprised him slightly by giving him a "hello" kiss. He didn't know why he wasn't expecting it, he just wasn't.

"You guys were awfully loud last night," Christy said with a smirk. Thea glared at her and the two old men grinned at each other then at the two girls. Duo was looking back and forth between the two girls, who seemed to be wondering who would speak first.

"You know, you can just shut the fuck up once in a while, Chris," said Thea. She was smiling but there was a note of irritation in her voice. The old men were laughing and Duo couldn't help but laugh with them.

"How can such a pretty mouth say such dirty things?" Christy asked sarcastically.

"Easy, watch: fuck, bitch, dick, cun-"

"THEA!" Said Christy whose hand covered Thea's mouth across the counter, "don't scare our customers away!" She removed her hand from Thea's face, which was smirking evilly. "Do you see what you've gotten yourself into?" She asked Duo.

He laughed.

If the first week of Duo's stay went by fast, the last two were at light speed. He felt as though it had all been a blink of the eye, but time flies when you're having fun. His and Thea's relationship had flourished more then flowers in late summer. He tossed his duffel bag in his truck and turn to find her standing behind him. She smiled weakly at him.

"Call me when you get home, okay?" She asked.

"Na, it'll be late, but I'll call you first thing tomorrow, Kay?" He answered pulling her into his arms. She seemed satisfied with this. "Then I'll call you the day after that," he said and kissed her, "and the day after that," he kissed her again, "and the day after that-"

"I think she gets the general idea there, buddy-" he heard Christy say behind Thea. Duo broke their kiss to see B.J. and Christy standing behind them. He could hear Thea giggling next to him, but was looking at B.J. who seemed as if he had an extremely bad taste in his mouth. Christy smiled and ruffled the hair on Duo's head, which caused him to raise an eyebrow.

"See ya," she said and smiled. B.J. merely nodded at Duo, he nodded back, and then they simply turned and went inside, leaving Thea and him alone once again. He hugged her tightly then took a quick glance at his watch. He was running late.

"I'm sorry, Babe, I gotta go," he said before giving her a quick kiss and letting her go, rather reluctantly.

"You better call me tomorrow or I will march my ass down there!" She called laughing and waving as he got into his truck for the long nine-hour drive.

"I will!" He called back.

Duo parked his truck in its usual spot and grabbed around in the truck bed for his duffel bag. The parking lot lights seemed to be malfunctioning; it was so dark that it felt like you were walking through a black velvet curtain. In his drive back to Preventer Headquarters he decided that he was being unrealistic about his and Thea's relationship. He had to let her go. They were living in two different worlds. He would some how convince Heero and Lady Une that Thea was not a threat and let her fade from his life and him from hers. But what if she didn't?

When he reached the main door, he was greeted by a surprise. Collecting a rather large file from the receptionist was Quatra Rababera Winner, diplomat and business owner from the L4 colony cluster. Quatra and Duo had fought along side each other during the Eve Wars. He spotted Duo and set the file back down on the desk.

"Hey, Duo!" He called. Duo raced up to him.

"Hey Q-Man! It's been awhile, I thought you weren't comin' in for another month or two! What's up?" Duo said shaking his long-time friend's hand. Quatra's entire demeanor changed in an instant.

"... Duo, can I talk you for a moment?" He asked glancing around, seeing who was listening.

"Yeah, sure," Duo said, slightly concerned. Could Quatra feel that Duo's mission had technically failed?

Duo followed Quatra into the break room, which, at this hour of the evening, was empty. Quatra poured himself a cup of tea and offered one to Duo, who refused, preferring coffee if he ever had any. Neither of them spoke until Duo's curiosity got the better of him.

"What's going on, Quatra?" He asked. Quatra was still silent for a few moments. Duo thought he must have been collecting his thoughts.

"Duo, I have this feeling. This horrible feeling that something truly awful is going to happen," he said, staring at his cup. Duo waited for him to elaborate. "I was sitting in my office two weeks ago, about mid-day, and I had this feeling come over me, like a warning, and all I could think about was contacting you." Quatra looked back at his friend.

Duo was in thought. Mid-day two weeks ago was around the time when he made his first report to Heero. "I tried your room and got no answer so I called Heero, and apparently he was on the phone with you when I called. He said you were away on a mission and didn't seem quite like yourself, but that you were okay. I waited a day or two, but when it didn't go away I scheduled some time to come here and so I got here last week."

Duo took a minute to take it all in. He could think of a few things that could happen that would definitely not be good, namely Thea being arrested, they would kill her; or him losing his job, but he'd rather have Thea then his job. "Duo, I can feel it, you aren't yourself at all. Something is truly troubling you. Is it Hilde?"

That was a blatant question if Duo had ever heard one. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair as he walked away from Quatra. He plopped himself down in a chair.

That was one of the only problems with Quatra. It was harder than hell to keep anything from him. You see, he wasn't a normal diplomat. Well, compared to the general public, neither Duo nor Quatra were normal but Quatra was even more different. For some reason certain members of the Winner family were born with oddities about them. Quatra was empathetic. He could sense things, sometimes before they happened, or the feelings of others; and Duo's frustration was written all over his face so he was sure it was too hard to ignore.

"What is it then?" Quatra asked. He was leaning against the counter across the room from him. Duo sighed. How was he going to explain this, if he was going to explain his and Thea's current situation at all? He decided against it. Realizing he still had his duffel bag in his hand, he used it as an excuse to leave. He mumbled an excuse and left.

He didn't feel comfortable sharing with Quatra his situation just yet. It was mostly the fact that he broke one of the most important unwritten rules: Never get too close to your target. He was never one to follow the rules anyway, but he didn't want the word to get out, not right now. He punched in the code on the keypad and the door to his room slid open. He walked inside and flipped on the light where his roommate, Marcus, was already asleep, for a moment. "Oy! What the bloody- Oh it's you, oh joy," he finished sarcastically. Duo found himself almost enjoying his roommate's discomfort.

Marcus was slightly on the obsessive compulsive side: they didn't get along at all, mainly because Marcus was a neat freak and Duo was lucky if he could see the floor on his side of the room. Duo guessed Marcus's reason he was uptight might have been because he came from a well-to-do family--unlike Duo, who seemed to be spawned from poverty. He would often get remarks--snide remarks--from Marcus about his hair or his clothes. Duo asked him if he was gay once because he seemed so concerned with how Duo dressed. Marcus just glared at him and told him to grow up. Duo however, found all of it rather amusing.

The next morning, bright and early, Duo and Heero had a meeting. It was the only time Heero could get away because of his duties with the Vice-Foreign Minister. That was Duo and Heero's main job: they were bodyguards, but since Miss Relena was taking some time away with her brother and his wife, it left the two of them with nothing to do for awhile. That was why he accepted the mission in the first place, and he really wanted to get out of there for a while. They were sitting in the same break room Duo and Quatra had been in the previous night, and for once in his life, Duo had nothing to say.

"Your orders were to bring her back here," Heero said plainly.

"I know," Duo answered. He didn't know what else to say. Heero seemed slightly disturbed by Duo's lack of conversation; he spoke up.

"Why?" He seemed more irritated then disturbed now. Duo was trying hard to come up with an answer. He couldn't lie to his best friend, but now, it seemed like the only option. Always good at thinking on his feet, he said the first thing that popped into his head.

"She'll be here; I just have to let her come on her own. You go and get her in front of all those people that love her to pieces and see how it goes over." Heero seemed unappreciative of the tone in Duo's voice.

"Then I'll let you tell Une that," he said simply, then got up and left the room. Duo was alone with her picture inside his head again. He decided he had better call her like he promised and got up to head back to his room.

A month passed, although it didn't feel like a month. It didn't go by at all fast, it just seemed a little bit hazy for Duo. Most of the time Duo was miles away inside his head, all the way to that little hick town that survives on elderly tourists and country music, but that little hick town had the world inside it. Her dark eyes haunted him where ever he went, he could feel them, as thought she were watching him from just around the corner and he didn't quite know it.

He was waiting to pick up Quatra at the spaceport, at Quatra's request, for a reason unknown to Duo. He saw the blonde Arabian as he got out of customs and waved to Duo. Duo went and picked up one of Quatra's bags and they walked together to Duo's truck. Duo flipped on the radio and hit the "auto-tune" button. It stopped at a country station. The broadcaster announced a new song by a band called "Diamond Rio" titled "Beautiful Mess". Duo felt the song was about him the entire time he listened to it. Quatra sat patiently in the passenger seat as Duo turned up the volume.

_I'm going out of my mind these days  
Like I'm walking 'round in a haze  
I can't think straight, I can't concentrate  
And I need a shave_

_I go to work and I look tired  
The boss man says son you're gonna get fired  
This ain't your style  
And behind my coffee cup  
I just smile_

_What a beautiful mess, what a beautiful mess I'm in  
Spending all my time with you  
There's nothing else I'd rather do  
What a sweet addiction that I'm caught up in  
'Cause I can't get enough  
Can't stop the hunger for your love  
What a beautiful, what a beautiful mess I'm in_

_This morning put salt in my coffee  
I put my shoes on the wrong feet  
Losing my mind I swear   
You might be the death of me  
But I don't care_

_What a beautiful mess, what a beautiful mess I'm in  
Spending all my time with you  
There's nothing else I'd rather do  
What a sweet addiction that I'm caught up in  
'Cause I can't get enough  
Can't stop the hunger for your love  
What a beautiful, what a beautiful mess I'm in_

_Is it your eyes, is it your smile?  
All I know is that you're driving me wild_

_What a beautiful mess, what a beautiful mess I'm in  
Spending all my time with you  
There's nothing else I'd rather do  
What a sweet addiction that I'm caught up in  
'Cause I can't get enough  
Can't stop the hunger for your love  
What a beautiful, what a beautiful mess I'm in_

_What a beautiful mess, what a beautiful mess I'm in  
Spending all my time with you  
There's nothing else I'd rather do  
What a sweet addiction that I'm caught up in  
'Cause I can't get enough  
Can't stop the hunger for your love  
What a beautiful, what a beautiful mess I'm in_

"Hey, if you don't mind me askin', why'd you want me to pick you up?" Duo asked as the pulled out of the space port parking lot once the song finished. Quatra started out he window for a long while before answering.

"I haven't got rid of that feeling yet, Duo." Duo audibly sighed at this. "And I had a dream the other night. I dreamed you died," he said looking over at Duo with concern. Duo almost shivered when he heard that.

"What do you mean I _died_?" He said, keeping his eyes on the road, afraid that if he looked at Quatra, his worries would be an open book.

"That someone had killed you, and I could hear a woman weeping. It was that most horrible vision I've ever had. Duo, what is going on? I wouldn't have that dream for no reason." Duo sighed again.

"I messed up bad, Quatra. But it's the best mistake I've ever made," Duo said, finally looking at Quatra for a second.

Thea was bored, strumming absentmindedly on her guitar. She missed Duo so much. She missed how he made her feel when he was around, his smile and his laugh. Although she still got to see those things when she talked to him on the vid-phone, it wasn't the same as in person. She hadn't been able to sleep decently since he left; her bed was so lonely, so empty with out him. She had never thought herself particularly sexy, not until she met him, that is. He rocked her little world. She mentally pictured her life without him; it was non-existent. He was her thrill, the wild-ness that she needed in her life. He was her Cowboy. Suddenly filled with inspiration, she grabbed the nearest pen and paper and started scribbling down some words.

_Cowboy take me away, fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue_

_Set me free, I pray, closer to heaven above, and closer to you_

She studied them for a while then started playing on her guitar again, singing with it. She'd stop every few seconds and write more until the entire page was filled. She smiled and sat back into her chair as she read over the page.

She had felt incomplete ever since he'd left; she needed to see him again or she was going to go crazy. She went to vid-phone to dial his number but got no answer. She sighed: he was probably working; he didn't get off for another half-hour. She'd call him then. She had some vacation time coming up that she had to use, so why not use it to go see the one attraction that she couldn't get enough of?


	5. Chapter 4

Hi again! I hope this part clarifies some things and frustrates you in others! Haha!

Cowboy, Take Me Away

Part Four

"Sir?" A young man asked as he entered his superior's office. He didn't know why he was this nervous, he'd been working for Ruthers Agency for nearly a decade, and he was, by far, Mr. Ruthers' favorite spy. Ruthers Agency was not a normal insurance agency. Thomas Ruthers sold a different kind of "insurance", a deadly kind. Thomas Ruthers turned his tall, leather desk chair to face him.

"Ahh, First-Class Simon. Come in, come in. You said you have some news for me?" He said and he gestured for Simon to have a seat.

"Yes, Sir. It's about the Seer," Simon said taking a seat. Ruthers looked suddenly sinister. "I've located her in Lake Melody, just as you said."

"Good, all is going according to plan then? How was your stay in Lake Melody?" Ruthers asked, seeming to relax a little bit.

"Fine, Sir, thank you. But I have more news," Simon said.

"Yes?"

"A Preventer has become... involved, I guess would be the word for it, with the Seer and he seems willing to protect her at all costs. Even from his own employer, Sir," Simon added. A smile broke across Ruthers' face.

"So all we have to do is draw them back here... hmm..." Ruther tapped his chin with his index finger.

"If I may, Sir, I have an idea," Simon said slightly timidly. Ruthers looked back to him waiting for his idea. "One of the Seer's guardians, who I've found out to be M218946-"

"M218946? The escaped proto-type?" Ruthers said heatedly. Simon nodded and Ruthers look more than impressed. "Is his sister with him?" Ruthers asked, now standing and leaning over the top of his desk with excitement.

"Yes Sir, F218875 is entirely intact, with a bit of an attitude to boot," Simon said.

"This is incredible, how perfect. We can use this to our advantage, can't we?" He asked Simon. Simon nodded.

"It gets better Sir, the Seer has lost her memory some how and hasn't a clue as to what she is, and her guardians aren't about to tell her."

"So that's why she so readily accepted the Preventer without suspicion, because she doesn't know that he's there to harm her, or was at least."

"That's correct, Sir. Which will make it that much easier to collect her because she's more trusting of strangers than she would be if she knew who she was. But my idea, Sir has more to do with M218946."

"Yes?"

"He has a girlfriend, a very easy target. And I think it's safe to say that M218946 would die for her in a heartbeat."

"So, you're saying take the girlfriend and M219846 would be forced to leave his guardian duties and the Seer would be vulnerable, correct?"

"Yes Sir, and F218875 shouldn't be a problem either, she wasn't trained in combat."

"And the Preventer?"

"Leave him to me."

"So, what do you think?" Christy asked B.J. after she gave him the basic idea for Thea's 'vacation.' She was trying not to make it sound like a big deal but knowing his personality, or lack there of, she was pretty sure it was a waste of time to even bring the idea up.

He gave her a droll stare over the counter top in their kitchen. "What do you think, I think?" It was a rhetorical question.

"I agree with you mostly, but really, we have no control over what she does. She's a grown woman, B.J."

"Yes, on the outside. On the inside she's as naive as an eight-year-old is," he said nonchalantly. Christy gapped at him, how could he say something like that? Not after what happened almost five years ago. It made her chest tighten in long forgotten grief.

"Ouch, B.J. that was low. You don't need to bring Luke into this."

"I'm just trying to make my point, Chris."

Christy was trying her greatest to hold back the tears that burned in her eyes. Luke was an innocent child, and B.J. was treating his memory like a bad one.

"Well, shit B.J.!" She yelled, losing her temper completely, "Can't you think of another way to do it besides bring back the worst memory of our entire lives! That's what started all this in the first place!"

"She's not going, that's final."

"You know you can't stop it B.J., it's already been foretold. She's going to die too, and there's nothing we can do..." she trailed off. She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. With anger and grief burning inside her, Christy stormed from the kitchen and left B.J. to his own. She was a strong person, yes, but this, this was stronger. What was coming was fueled by greed and stronger then anything they had. Stronger than them... and stronger then love.

_Stupid windshield wipers, does anything ever work on this hunk of junk? I mean come-on, this is ridiculous. _Thea held the wiper button down on her rickety old jeep as she drove the highway. The rain splattered against it with echoing power, though the steady sound seemed to relax her. She had always loved the rain. It had amazing cleansing qualities.

Her month without Duo was very trying, not just because of his absence, but trying in general. Things had not been quite right between her and the closest thing she had to family: B.J., Christy, and Tate. It was like they were anticipating something, and they wouldn't give her the slightest hint as to what it could be. It troubled her, to feel that her friends were troubled.

She smiled as she could faintly see a road sign that said she was only around a mile outside of the big city that made up the Earth Sphere Nation's capitol.

Her smile faded as her battered jeep started to sputter. A loud noise came from under the hood and the engine died.

Thea cursed, this was just her luck. She pulled over on the shoulder of the highway and shut the tin can off. She reached in her coat pocket and dug out her cell phone.

No service. _Damn. _This was not good. She tried to move to a better area in her jeep to hopefully get service on her phone but to no avail. Sighing heavily, she pulled the hood release under her seat and got out into the pouring rain.

When she pulled the hood up the smoke was so thick she couldn't see the problem. It ran down her throat when she breathed, stinging her lungs and making her cough. She thought of her two options: stay in the jeep where its dry, and be there until someone pulls over-which could take all night, or walk the mile into town to find a payphone and get soaked in the process. Climbing back into the jeep, she sat for a moment, shivering from the wet chill. At least if she was moving she could create more body heat. She glanced in the rear-view-mirror.

After watching eight vehicles pass with out stopping and feeling her anger and frustration grow considerably, she climbed out, grabbed her bag, locked the doors and started walking down the highway.

Duo was annoyed. No, annoyed didn't even begin to describe it. He was trying his best to avoid lying to his boss as she started down the bridge of her nose at him. "Look; just let me do my job, any everything will be a-okay. There's a reason I'm doing what I'm doing and if you wouldn't mind butting out, I could be dong it right now," Duo said, trying hide the peeved note in his voice.

Lady Une didn't look pleased, "And that is?"

Duo sighed in frustration.

"You know, Preventer Maxwell, it has been brought to my attention by one of your peers that your emotional and mental state is becoming a concern."

Duo felt his stomach sink, "Heero."

Lady Une ignored his comment, confirming that that it had been Heero that talked to her, "I think it's time you took a vacation Mr. Maxwell. A _mandatory _vacation."

"Why?"

"I want you off this case, and out of here. I don't want to see you again for two weeks. I will put Preventer Winner in your place. That is an order."

_Okay, at least Quatra wouldn't jump to conclusions about Thea._

"And if I refuse?"

"It will be your badge."

Duo crossed his arms over his chest and gave an "I dare you to" look. Lady Une sighed and pulled her round glasses off.

"Duo, we all need time to heal. A good soldier knows himself, or herself, well enough to understand the limitation of their well being. Now I'm asking you, make time to move on. You can't keep letting Hilde interfere with your career."

One thought went though his mind before he felt his temper snap: _If you only knew that is isn't Hilde._

"_I_ will decide when I am _good enough _to do my job."

He stormed out of her office.

Quatra was headed out the front doors of Preventer HQ when he saw a sopping wet woman walk through the door next to him. A feeling of recognition swept through him, although he couldn't place her. She gave him a warm smile that made his stop in his tracks and approach her. "Can I help you, miss?" He asked.

She smiled wider, "Yes; actually, I'm looking for Duo Maxwell. Is he here?"

At that moment, realization went though his mind like a hot knife. Duo's words ran through his mind. "_I messed up bad, Quatra. But it's the best mistake I've ever made."_ "And you are?"

"Thea Fox. I guess you could say I'm his girlfriend, well maybe." She laughed nervously.

_This is Duo's mistake. Oh Allah..._

"No, I'm afraid he just left. I'm sorry, I'm not sure where to reach him." She eyed Quatra disbelievingly.

_I knew I could never lie to save my life._

"Are you sure? You seem like you know him, I believe he told me he lived here."

Quatra squirmed nervously for a moment. Then felt an even worse feeling of dread; someone of an unmistakable aura was about to round the corner where they were standing, in plain sight. It was Duo.

Duo was still cursing under his breath as he walked down the hallway. The widows flashed with lightning and were followed by a loud rumble of thunder. He recognized the relationship between his mood and the threatening weather. He really wished it were legal to push your boss off a cliff. He smirked when a second, slightly darker thought crossed his mind. It wouldn't be the first illegal thing he would have done in his lifetime. He was about the round the corner, fully intent to start off his _mandatory _vacation by drowning his troubles in a tavern down the street. But he never made it to the doors. He came around the corner and literally ran into something cold, wet, and shivering. "Oh, 'cuse me-" he mumbled before immediately realizing who it was he ran into. Surprise ran through him, but was quickly followed by fear and guilt. "Thea! What are you doing here?" He asked excitedly, hiding his fears, but the look on Quatra's face said he wasn't hiding them well.

She rewarded his excitement with a wide and beautiful smile. "Duo!" She exclaimed throwing himself into his arms.

"You're soaking wet," he said releasing her and taking of his jacket before wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Surprise! Well the sopping wet part isn't really the surprise but hey it got your attention!" She laughed. He chuckled a little before repeating his question. "I took a week of vacation!"

He smiled. This really wasn't happening. Thea. Here. He'd never been happier or more terrified in his life.

He took Thea back to his room, which to his elation was empty. He grabbed a towel out of the bathroom for her and went to he vid-phone. It took him a few moments to remember the number and track Marcus down, but when he did, he was able to convince him to find somewhere else to stay for the night. At the moment, Duo wanted privacy. He glanced over his shoulder at her. She had let the towel fall to floor before hanging his jacket on the chair to her left and was now staring at something on his dresser. Her long, dark hair was dripping and clung to her face. She was the most radiantly beautiful thing he had ever seen. He then realized how much he craved her.

"Duo?" She asked, bringing him out of his less than pure thoughts. He got up and walked to her. She was running her fingers over the embossed letters on an extremely tattered book that read "Holy Bible" on the cover. "I didn't know you were a Christian man," she said quietly.

"I'm not. Well, anymore," he said just as quietly.

"Then, why do you keep a bible?" She turned to face him with a quizzical expression. He sighed and took her into his arms.

"Must we spoil this pleasant evening with religion?" He asked dramatically. As soon as he finished the last word, a loud clap of thunder rang out through the building, as well as the room. She laughed.

"Yes, this beautiful, pleasant evening," she teased sarcastically.

"Hey, we can pretend. Can't we?"


End file.
